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Michael Latimer | |
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| Born | Michael James Latimer (1941-09-06)6 September 1941 |
| Died | 25 June 2011(2011-06-25) (aged 69) |
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Michael James Latimer (6 September 1941 – 25 June 2011) was aBritish television stage and film actor who later in his career turned to writing, directing and producing.
Latimer was born inCalcutta, where his father had a business, and was educated atthe Leys School inCambridge from 1955 to 1959, where he was a middle-distance runner and playedrugby for the English Schoolboys Team.[1] Upon leaving school, he trained at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) for two years, and on leaving began acting in cabaret revues. He stood in forPeter Cook inBeyond the Fringe when the original cast took the show to New York.[2]
He appeared in variousrepertory andWest End productions. His television appearances includedThe Avengers (1966–67),Sexton Blake (1968),Man at the Top (1972),Van der Valk (1972–73), in which he played Johnny Kroon alongsideBarry Foster as Van der Valk,Special Branch (1973),Marked Personal (1973),Village Hall (1974),Crown Court (1974–76),The Sweeney (1975),Quiller (1975),The New Avengers (1977),Spectre (1977),Z-Cars (1978),The Professionals (1978),Maggie and Her (1979),Hammer House of Horror (1980) andRumpole of the Bailey (1988).[2][3]
His film roles includeA Man for All Seasons (1966),Prehistoric Women (1967) oppositeMartine Beswick,Mosquito Squadron (1969),Man of Violence (1969),Got It Made (1974) andSweeney! (1977).[3]
Latimer was the stage director for the firstJohnny Nash andBob Marley tours of theUnited Kingdom in 1972.[2] He set up his own production company, Bedrock Productions; this had three top twenty hits in the German music charts forHansa andAriola Records.[1]
He married the Australian artist Sheena Bancks, with whom he had a son (Rupert) and a daughter (Miranda), and moved with his wife toSydney in 1980, where he took up directing and writing. He wrote and producedGinger Meggs in 1982, a film based on the Australiancomic strip written by his late father-in-lawJimmy Bancks. On his first visit to Australia in 1969, he directedHamlet inMelbourne, a production that starredJohn Wood.
His writing for television includedThe Rovers (1970), theBBC playThe Interview and also four episodes ofSons and Daughters (1983).[3]
He taught at RADA, London Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA) and at drama school in Australia. As a director he worked on television commercials in Australia and directed some 37 theatre productions in the United Kingdom, including Daniel Magee's playPaddywack (1994) withJames Nesbitt at theCockpit Theatre inMarylebone.[1][2]
A keen sportsman, Latimer was a member of theMCC and managed his own cricket team, the Bystanders.
After 42 years of marriage, his wife Sheena died; in his latter years his partner was Amanda Weldon.
Latimer died atTrinity Hospice in Clapham, London, in 2011, aged 69.[4][5]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | A Man for All Seasons | Norfolk's Aide | |
| 1967 | Prehistoric Women | David | |
| 1969 | Mosquito Squadron | Clark (Pilot) | Uncredited |
| 1969 | Man of Violence | Moon | |
| 1974 | Got It Made | David Tollemache | |
| 1977 | Sweeney! | P.P.S. | |
| 1990 | Fatal Sky | Beckwith | (final film role) |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
